Synergism of Anti-CGRP Monoclonal Antibodies and OnabotulinumtoxinA in the Treatment of Chronic Migraine: A Real-World Retrospective Chart Review.

BACKGROUND: Many patients with chronic migraine do not achieve clinically meaningful improvement in their headache frequency with monotherapy. The burden associated with chronic migraine calls for a multifaceted treatment approach targeting multiple aspects of migraine pathophysiology. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of concurrent anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) monoclonal antibody (mAb) and onabotulinumtoxinA (onabot) treatment on median monthly migraine days (MMD) in patients with chronic migraine, through a retrospective study. METHODS: The electronic medical records of Cleveland Clinic patients either concurrently (dual therapy) or consecutively (monotherapy) treated with anti-CGRP mAbs and onabot between June 2018 and November 2021 were extracted. Only adult patients (≥ 18 years of age) were included in this study. MMDs for 194 concurrently treated (86.6% female and a median [interquartile range] age of 51 [41-61] years) and 229 consecutively treated (88.2% female and median age of 47 [IQR 39-57] years) patients were examined at baseline, after first therapy of either anti-CGRP mAb or onabot, and following dual therapy for 3 consecutive months. The reduction of MMDs for each treatment group were compared. The same approach was utilized to compare consecutive monotherapy at separate times (n = 229) and dual-therapy groups. RESULTS: The initial treatment of the dual-therapy group reduced the median (IQR) MMDs from 30 (30-30) to 15 (12-30) [p < 0.0001]. After initiation of dual therapy, the median MMDs was further decreased from 15 (12-30) to 8 (3-22) [p < 0.0001]. A majority [132/194 (68.0%)] of the dual-therapy patients reported a ≥ 50% reduction in MMD and 90/194 (46.4%) reported a ≥ 75% reduction. For the consecutive monotherapy group, median MMDs changed from a baseline of 30 (25-30) to 15 (8-25) from onabot monotherapy and decreased from 25 (15-30) to 12 (4-25) after anti-CGRP mAb monotherapy. Almost half (113/229 [49.3%] from onabot, and 104/229 [45.4%] from anti-CGRP mAb) of these patients achieved a ≥ 50% reduction in MMDs and a minority (38/229 [16.6%] from onabot, and 45/229 [19.7%] from anti-CGRP mAb) achieved a reduction of ≥ 75%. Additionally, dual therapy showed significant improvement in MMDs compared with monotherapy of either treatment (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Dual therapy of anti-CGRP mAbs and onabot may be more efficacious than monotherapy, possibly due to their synergistic mechanisms of action.

You never forget your first? Impact of interview timing on institutional rank order.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of interview date on the applicant rank for Neurology residencies in the United States. METHODS: A multi-institutional retrospective review of interview dates and applicant rank list data for the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) was conducted for five Neurology programs, totaling 1932 interviewed applicants over a combined total of 31 interview years. For each candidate, the interview date and applicant rank were abstracted along with the total number of interviews for that season. Statistical analyses were completed on the cumulative institution data set as well for each individual institution to assess for a possible relationship between interview date and applicant rank. RESULTS: The cumulative institutional analysis showed that the mean applicant rank decreased as the interview season progressed. Applicants who interviewed on the first day of the interview season were ranked 11.4% higher than those who interviewed on the last interview day. Additionally, applicants interviewed on the first interview day more likely to be ranked higher when compared to all other interview dates. Independent analysis of each program's data identified comparable, statistically significant, differences in mean applicant rank and interview position at three out of the five institutions. CONCLUSIONS: This study evaluated the impact of interview order on the ranking of applicants by Neurology residency programs, noting a temporal relationship with applicant rank and interview date. The primacy bias appreciated in our data merits further evaluation in other medical specialties. Strategies to minimize the impact of this bias should be employed by residency programs who use medical matching services.

An anatomical study of wormian bones from the eastern part of India: is genetic influence a primary determinant of their morphogenesis?

Over the years a number of investigators have analysed the morphology of wormian bones in different population groups across the world. There have been significant variations between findings reported in these studies, and this has prompted researchers to focus on the influence of genetic factors on the morphology of these bones. In the light of the above observation, we considered it justified to conduct anatomical studies on wormian bones in different population groups; hence, we undertook the present study to look into the morphological details of these bones among a population in the eastern part of India. We observed a total of 120 adult dry human skulls of unknown age and sex, and noted the anatomical details of wormian bones when present. It was observed that wormian bones were present in 45 % of skulls, and that 30 % of skulls had more than one wormian bone. We also found that 2.5 % of the skulls had ten or more wormian bones, which is considered as pathognomonic. Maximum incidence (53.33 %) was observed at the lambdoid suture and minimum incidence at the bregma and metopic suture (0.61 % in each case). We noted a high incidence (21.21 %) of Inca bone/lambdoid ossicle, and bilaterally symmetrical wormian bones were present in 12.5 % study skulls. There were statistically significant (P < 0.05) variations between the findings of the present study and values reported in previous studies conducted in other regions of India and different parts of the world. Our observations favour the view that genetic influence primarily determines the morphology of wormian bones.

Adriaan van den Spiegel (1578-1625): anatomist, physician, and botanist.

Adriaan van den Spiegel (1578-1625) was a Flemish anatomist and physician. He was one of the most prominent anatomists at the University of Padua during the 17th century and became professor of anatomy and surgery there in 1619. He was privileged to have two of the most accomplished anatomists of that period, Fabricius ab Aquapendente and Iulius Casserius, as his teachers. His anatomical works were published after his death by his pupil Bucretius and his son-in-law Liberalis Crema, with illustrations procured from Casserius's unpublished anatomical atlas. He contributed significantly to establishing basic morphological facts about the developing embryo in his text De formato foetu liber singularis. In his book De humani corporis fabrica libri decem, Spiegel's lobe (caudate lobe) of the liver and the linea semilunaris (Spiegel's line) on the lateral side of the rectus abdominis muscle were described for the first time. Subsequently, Spigelian aponeurosis (between the lateral margin of the rectus abdominis and the linea semilunaris) and Spigelian hernia (lateral ventral hernia) were named after him. He was a renowned physician in his time and was the first to give a detailed description of malaria. He made significant contributions as a botanist: the genus Spigelia, which has six species, is named after him.

Unusual branching pattern of facial artery and a short review.

A detailed knowledge of the facial blood supply is necessary in planning of different types of orofacial surgeries. However abnormal pattern of facial blood supply may modify the result of the treatment, if it is not predicted in advance. Here we report two rare cases of unusual presentation of facial blood supply and the clinical implications of such findings, correlating with the previous studies.